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Thursday, April 16, 2009

Simply Charming!

I'm really enjoying one of the newer swaps that I've joined over on Flickr, called the "Mini Quilt in a Bag" swap ... so named because, in its first round, participants sent their partner a small bag full of fabrics, embellishments, etc., and the partner was responsible for making a mini quilt out of what was sent.

I didn't participate in the first round, but you can see the twist of this group -- you actually receive in the end a quilt made from fabrics that you yourself pick out! I liked the appeal of that concept, since I have a bunch of fabric that I love but tend to make stuff for someone else with ... now I can receive something in return from the very fabrics that I know I love!

I joined up in the second round of the swap, which was nicknamed the "Simply Charming" round. This time around, the fabric that was sent to our partners took the form of a single charm pack of fabric. LOVED this idea, since I am a big fan of charm packs!!

Even before being paired with Sara (who blogs at Just One More ...), I had already decided to dip into my Tula Pink stash and send one of my prized "Flutterby" charm packs. I've been hoarding this line and was so excited to finally see something made from it.

And here's what Sara made!:

Isn't it great? And the best part about the quilt is something that you really can't see in the pictures: Sara embellished the quilt with tiny little jeweled beads throughout that blend seamlessly into the colors and designs of the fabric. I tried to get a picture so that you might be able to see some of what she added:

It really has to be seen up close and in person to be appreciated. I consider myself VERY lucky to call this one mine. Thanks so much, Sara!

In return, Sara sent me a charm pack of the "Fig & Tree" line by Fig Tree Quilts to play with. I thought the small prints were perfect to be highlighted in this little "X" quilt that I put together:

Sorry ... I know these are dark pictures. I decided to go with a lot of white space on this one (off-white, actually), and I'm really happy with how it came out.

I had a pretty large cut of an older Fig Tree print that I thought worked well as a backing.

Your x quilt is adorable. It is a great idea for a swap - you are more likely to like the end product since you picked out the fabric - but on the other hand, it may be hard to make a quilt with fabrics you don't know how to work with, or don't like.